


The Innocents

by odiko_ptino



Series: Modern AU [30]
Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Gen, I never made it clear, International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, Iphigenia - Freeform, Polyxena - Freeform, and an infinity more, but Hermes is remembering Astyanax
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 18:28:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17027787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odiko_ptino/pseuds/odiko_ptino
Summary: Icarus babysits the children of a refugee from Nigeria.  Hermes first helps, then opposite-of-helps.





	The Innocents

Icarus has been trying for a while to get the twins to sleep– the two-year-old, Chichima, finally drifted off about ten minutes ago, crayon still clutched in her hand, while the Octonauts sing about vampire squids on the T.V. in front of her.  The infant twins,Tujuka and Odunayo, are resisting Captain Barnacles’ soothing baritone.    

That old-school trick is starting to sound pretty good – the one where you give rum to babies to make them sleep.  It’s not  _so_ bad to give babies alcohol, right?  Maybe a little bad – especially since they aren’t even Icarus’ kids – but consider:  _babies that are asleep_.  Surely that’s what Mrs. Okafor would want.

It’s while he’s wistfully thinking of this that both babies abruptly just fall asleep; no warning and no easing into it.  Icarus has just enough time to barely begin panicking, thinking the babies maybe just died in his arms, when a familiar(ish) voice chimes in behind him:

“You’re welcome, kiddo!”

It’s a testament to how much one’s reflexes change, when one Is holding two tiny sleeping babies, that Icarus doesn’t leap into the air, or scream, or look for something to throw. He does flinch; then takes a deep breath and glances over his shoulder.  

There’s Hermes – the herald god of Olympus is tucking away his little staff or rod or whatever it is, and winks at Icarus.  

“Yeah, I don’t usually do that so much anymore – Hypnos likes to run the show himself where he can – but you looked like you needed the break.”

“Uh – uh, y-yeah.  Yeah.  I wasn’t having much luck getting them to sleep.  Uh.  Thanks, I mean, thank you very much.”

Hermes makes an amused noise and drifts over the couch, sitting on the arm opposite Icarus.  “Did you try the rum trick?”

“Hermes!”  Icarus is scandalized.  “Isn’t that – bad?  It’s bad! Giving alcohol to babies is bad!”

The god shrugs.  “It’s not great, but lots of stuff isn’t great, and in the end you have some sleeping babies, right?”

Icarus refuses to acknowledge the idea had even crossed his mind, no matter how fleetingly.  He shakes his head in disapproval.  “Babies are fragile.  Alcohol would damage them! You can’t just – ” he cuts himself off when he sees Hermes’ grin growing wider as he watches Icarus.  Trolled again.

He sighs.  “Nevermind.  Thank you for helping them sleep.  Um.  So… did you stop in just to do that…?”

“The sun idiots sent me to fetch you – they’re pretty annoyed, buddy!  They said you were supposed to be home for your post-calculus pre-flower-shop break fifteen minutes ago!  You are gonna be  _scolded_ when you get back. Maybe spanked, if you’re lucky.”

Icarus doesn’t dignify that with a response.  “Yeah, well, Chloe – uh, my sister – she asked me if I could come watch Mrs. Okafor’s kids for a couple hours.  It was kind of a last-minute thing.”

“Babysitting?”

“She’s – um, she’s here on refugee status, so she has a lot of stuff to do.  Normally one of the church volunteers helps out, but that fell through, so my sister asked me.”

“Hmm.”  Hermes blurs slightly, and then beams at Icarus.  “Okay!  I told them you’ll be back later.”

Icarus blinks.  “You –you just…?”

Hermes leans over and tweaks Icarus’ nose, which Icarus is unable to prevent because of the babies in his arms.  “Heralds gotta be fast, yo!”  

Icarus rolls his eyes as Hermes leans back.  “I told ‘em you were earning some extra cash escorting and you’d be a little late.”

“Herm-!” Icarus is about to shout, but luckily catches himself in time and whispers fiercely.  “Hermes!  Did you really??!”

The trickster god smiles mysteriously.  “Mmmmmmaybe! You’ll find out when you get back, I guess!”

Icarus sighs and slumps his head back against the couch.  “You’re teasing me again, aren’t you.  They probably already know I’m here, anyway.”

“We’re not actually omnipotent,” Hermes chides, picking up a hardboard book featuring colorful anthropomorphic animals learning a lesson about sharing, and leafing through it.  “I generally get to know where everyone is because it’s my job.  They can see a lot from up in the sky but it’s not like they know where you are every minute.”

 _Thank fuck_ , Icarus thinks.  

“Though they’re definitely trying,” Hermes adds, and sets aside the picture book.  Icarus really hopes he didn’t add anything inappropriate to the book.

“I think it’s sweet you’re helping the lady out, though,” Hermes goes on.  “What a nice guy.  You’ll be a good influence on those rascals.”

“Uhh – I guess.” Icarus looks down at the babies.  “It’s just – I dunno.  You kinda gotta do it,you know?  Especially if there’s kids.  Their whole lives got uprooted.  And they didn’t do anything to deserve it…”

Icarus trails off. Hermes’ face has changed, somehow. It’s subtle.  The smile is still there, but it looks… distant, and faintly sad.

“Right.  It’s just something we gotta do, isn’t it?”

Icarus feels a little spooked by this sudden shift in mood.  “Uh… yeah.  Like I said. The kids especially.”

Hermes nods, expression still inscrutable.  “The kids especially.”  

The god suddenly lifts off the couch and stretches enormously, breaking the tension.  “Welp, those two have been pestering me nonstop ever since I told them you were gonna be late because you were worshipping at a temple to Thor and Odin… guess I ought to go throw them a bone; keep them busy!”

“I thought you told them I was a male escort tonight,” Icarus says flatly.  

Hermes winks again.  “I told them a lot of exciting things.  I gotta think of another one before I go back.”

“Or, you could just tell them I’m babysitting a few kids and I’ll be back in probably an hour?”

Hermes scoffs.  “Yeah,if I wanted to be boring!  Why say the truth when I could tell them you’re taking classes to be a clown, or getting married – ooh, that’s a good one!  You’ll see later which ones I go with.”

And before Icarus can object further, the god blurs and is gone.  

Over the course of the final hour of babysitting, Icarus finds piles of coins and bills in unexpected locations, as well as a replenished drawer of diaper supplies and a few bottles of milk with “Apollo Dairy Cows”  printed on the label.  Oh, and a bottle of rum in Icarus’ satchel, with a note saying “for the biggest baby. Cheers from your pal Hermes (and Dionysus (but don’t tell him you got this))”.

It’s weird how so many kind favors can give Icarus such a headache.


End file.
